Promoting an Academic Culture in the Arab World
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Published online: 2021-08-12 LETTER TO THE EDITOR Promoting an academic culture in the Arab world ACADEMIC AND ETHICAL ISSUES IN THE ARAB regulations in place because many trainers and trainees, WORLD students and teachers alike, are never taught, or do not always understand, the increasing complexity and nuances Scientists with high educational level are expected to have of what constitutes intellectual thefts, plagiarism, and a proportionally high ethical standard. However, this is scientific misconduct. Ethical regulations in many Arab not always the case. A wide chasm between academic institutions are deficient in many aspects, particularly in levels and ethical conducts and between practical ethics relation to development, structure, content, and reference [17] and theoretical knowledge is perceptible in many scientific to international ethical guidelines. and medical fields.[1‑6] As scholars, we, however, have more [18] responsibility to be ethically and professionally honest in Despite obvious defects of citation practices, some producing knowledge, in interpreting it, in communicating Arab institutions spend a lot of money to lure “highly it, and in interacting with each other. Yet, research and cited authors” or to coaffiliate their published papers with science ethics are sometimes superficial and/or broken institutions abroad to appear with more “prestige” or “excellence” in biased ranking systems such as the Shanghai intentionally or unintentionally at the highest scholarly ranking[19,20] or alike. It is, however, not a question of citations levels. In the Arab world, which is the main focus of this but the utility of manuscripts in real life to bring concrete article, unethical symptoms range from the absence of basic solutions to health, technical, or environmental challenges. communication ethics (i.e., nonresponse to formal requests Nonetheless, this issue (the focus on prestige and citation) is or E‑mails) to a more serious misconduct in research not specific to the Arab world but a global issue that needs and medical practice, passing through biased funding more attention. The “market of prestige” and misleading and recruitment policies. Such policies are commonly a “excellence” is a main focus of many Arab and non‑Arab matter of persistent practices called “wasta” or “wasata” scientists and policymakers at all costs sometimes at the (literally means “intercession”) which still cause damages in expense of deontology and ethics. The scientific enterprise, many Arab countries.[7‑9] The wasta is using one’s influence however, is supposed to be quintessential and disinterested or that of others – sometimes with bribery – to gain of any superficial or subjective values, such as excellence and favors or advantages that otherwise would not be attained prestige which do not make much sense in science. easily or at all in for example admissions to universities, gaining employment, getting privileged hospital services, In spite of some positive and encouraging changes in the or gaining exclusive business licenses for export or import Arab academic world (e.g., building new universities, valued products or goods without any other competitors relative increases in research and higher education funds, or providers. It is in fact a universal human phenomenon increases in student numbers and research activities), that has also been reported in other countries, referred as to research in this region is still lagging far behind countries “guanxi” in China, “jeitinho” in Brazil, or “pulling strings” with similar or even less human and natural resources. in Anglo‑Saxons countries.[10] Research and public health investments in many Arab countries are still limited and rigidly institutionalized The current ethical guidelines in some Arab countries with heavy and long procedures and often granted in suffer from many ethical shortages relating to the lack function of administrative or personal influences of objectivity, flexibility, well‑defined research strategies, only (i.e., resort to wasta as mentioned above). Except and overwhelming bureaucracy.[11‑13] A lack of outreach oil‑exporting countries, Arab expenditures on research and activities and an atmosphere of oppressive pressure, development (R and D) have not experienced substantial or selfishness, unethical competition, animosity, and endeavors worthwhile rapid growth. Egypt, the largest Arab country, toward artificial prestige more than toward socioeconomic spends merely 0.86% of its gross national product on R development[14] is also perceptible in many stances. The and D compared with 2% in South Korea and 1.78% in absence of research ethics code and misconduct policy Taiwan.[21] According to United Nations data of 2014, the leads many scholars to stealing ideas, dishonesty, and gross domestic expenditures on R and D for Egypt, Tunisia, plagiarism.[15,16] Such symptoms are also frequently reported and Bahrain were, respectively, about 0.67, 0.64, and 0.099% from countries that have the most stringent codes and of the gross domestic product (GDP) (http:data.un.org/Data. 120 © 2018 Avicenna Journal of Medicine | Published by Wolters Kluwer ‑ Medknow Letter to the Editor aspx?d=UNESCO&f=series%3AST_SCGERDGDP). In all is of great importance to solve local issues. Then, when these cases, there is no one single Arab country among the 22 get fixed at the best way possible, interests in other priorities countries of the Arab League, including oil‑rich countries, could be undertaken. that has ever reached the threshold of 1% of GDP. In 2007, the Arab world spent merely 0.2% of its GDP on R and D.[22] Although great efforts have been made on literacy in the Arab world, some 65 million adults are still illiterate,[31] In terms of scientific publications, which is not necessarily an emphasizing the need for special focus on all learning accurate or an objective indicator of scientific advancement levels including among the elderly. The role of universities or progress, twenty Arab countries contribute about 0.55% in conducting research and providing lifelong learning and to the world science literature compared with 0.68% by training for youth and adults should thus be an integral Poland and 1.84% by the Netherlands.[21] Arab countries part and a continual endeavor of the national strategies for produce less than 0.5% of papers published in top‑tier literacy.[31] medical journals.[22] ROOT CAUSES OF ETHICAL ISSUES IN THE ARAB Research private investments, on another hand, are almost WORLD absent in the Arab world, and if any, they are derisory and attributed on personal relationships, as well. The Arab world, The failure of current research strategies in many Arab however, abounds with important potential public and countries is a complex multifactorial issue relating to private financial resources, but they are typically granted to social, economic, inefficient science and research policy, small or immediate consumption profit‑generating projects, administrative, and managerial factors. Conflictual culture mostly on a superficial criteria basis, too. determinants or structural and organizational factors could also be culprit such as the absence of well‑structured While keeping the sizes of laboratories[23] and universities[24] educational system, inequality, inadequate funding strategies, relatively small and manageable enables better mentoring materialism, downplayed integrity and honesty, deficiency and better training of scientists, the objectives of many and lack of proper training and leadership approaches. science and research policies in Arab institutions are directed Other fracturing contradictions between materialistic toward bigness of buildings, centralism of roles, and diluted and unmaterialistic values sometimes lead many people responsibilities. The Arab world is also experiencing a to breach ethical rules and behave in a Machiavellian multidimensional change in the higher education system, way to reach their objectives. Reasons may also include along with abroad privatization and internationalization corruption, mismanagement, cronyism, nepotism,[32] and of many of its higher education institutions. The Arab Gulf waste and misuse of public resources. The reasons behind States for example are the largest hosts of international branch such misconduct might be due to internal, external, societal, campuses worldwide.[25] The United Arab Emirates and Qatar or contextual factors[33,34] both are hosting up to 50 branches of foreign universities,[26] some of them are struggling.[27] Although such a proliferation POTENTIAL REMEDIES TO OVERCOME THE could be considered as a win‑win strategy for the host and CHALLENGES hosted, it could also be seen as a neocolonialism form[31] or a soft power system[28] with many problems.[27] As most of To remedy the issues mentioned above and to promote the hosted universities are private with high enrollment fees, academic and ethical cultures in the Arab world, it is affordable only by rich people, economic crises may lead important to avoid the root causes mentioned above to their failure.[27,29] In fact, importing knowledge passively and to minimize their effects toward more transparency rather than producing it actively looks like a baroque arsenal and integrity in science and education policies. To take promising much but delivering little.[30] Consumers of part in worthwhile scientific achievements and to reduce knowledge that is created, generated, and delivered from ethical hazards in Arab countries, Arab scholars and elsewhere